2024-25 NBA preview

Southeast Division

ATLANTA HAWKS

Last season, bad defense, some real stinkers. Lost the Play-In Game (to Chicago, which … woof) after a 36-win season, earned the top pick in the worst NBA draft in history.
Coach: Quin Snyder

C: Clint Capela — the league’s best offensive rebounder in 2023-24, only 30, guaranteed double-double. But center is tricky, nobody is ever happy with you and most of the time they have a strong point.
PF: Jalen Johnson — not an overwhelming player but does his job on the defensive glass, showcased all manner of tasteful two-point attempts in 2023-24. Points per game jumped from 5.6 to 16, three guys named “Jalen” earned Most Improved Player votes last spring and Jalen wasn’t one of them.
SF: De’Andre Hunter — creaky, not great, but NBA-sized. De’Andre Hunter is not what I’d call an “impactful defender,” but 15 points per game doesn’t grow on trees and even if it did I still couldn’t reach the branches.
SG: Dyson Daniels — we haven’t seen the Hawks’ backcourt sphere in full, it is only a theoretical concept at the moment until we’re able to actually view one large defender filling in the holes of another, then using inertia to fuel itself, which is all of us, somehow. I think that’s how a Dyson Sphere works. I mostly listen to space videos to fall asleep, I don’t typically make it to the explanation and wouldn’t understand it if I did. Scientists call this the “Branch Concept.”

The length and ball-handling capabilities of Dyson should suit Trae Young’s style of play, I hope Daniels continues taking the same sort of chances he dove into as a Pelican reserve while concentrating upon life as a starter.
PG: Trae Young — may have been ultra-efficient this season even without Dejounte Murray hanging around the free throw line, but the trade helps. Delivered a genuine good faith effort last season while we watched the league’s other stars.

Onyeka Okongwu began launching three-pointers last season so now he has two different types of shots to complain about not getting … Vit Krejci is a lot of fun, he’ll probably start (ahead of the rookie) during De’Andre Hunter’s yearly breaks from action. Vit thinks he’s a point guard. He is not a point guard, but it is still television watching him try: